Your screenplay is good, but in the competitive entertainment business, “good” is no longer good enough. In How to Make Your Script Better than the Rest, writer and veteran Hollywood story analyst Kathy McCullough offers specific advice for tackling the most common problems that pop up in scripts sent to agents, production companies, and writing contests. The book zeroes in on specific issues, such as:

• How to increase the tension and conflict in each of your scenes
• How to make sure you have a story and not just a situation
• How to understand the difference between a twist and a complication
• Why “cause and effect” in your plot is so important

The book also offers advice on brainstorming, dealing with feedback, and includes a section devoted to “insider information”, such as what goes into a coverage report and what contest judges look for when they read a script. Many of the essays apply to writing novels and plays as well.

Kathy McCullough spent more than 20 years working in development in Hollywood, covering scripts for dozens of companies including Imagine Entertainment and HBO Films. She’s been a judge for many well-known screenwriting competitions and co-owned a script consulting company for several years. This book is based on her experience reading literally thousands of scripts and giving notes to writers in order to help them make sure their screenplay is not only good, but “better than the rest”.